The Batting Cages
by DeenaTweety
Summary: He's not her type, but that won't stop them. Shauna and her weird attraction to Morgan. Shauna/Morgan


She gets the text when she's at work.

The break-up text.

It's from her boyfriend, Officer Stetson. It tells her that he got his things from her place, and that when she comes home from work she'll find a box of her things (along with her spare key). She tries to hold back a sob, but it comes out as kind of a weird squeal and Betsy leans over from her place on their desk, looking worried.

"What's wrong?"

Shauna hands Betsy the phone and lets her read the text. The other girl gasps. "Shauna! Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

Dr. Castellano walks in at just the wrong moment. "Hey, what's going on? Put your phones away, you're at work."

Mindy's on his tail. "Just cool it, Danny, everybody texts at work." She, herself, is holding a phone.

"C'mon, that's so unprofessional—" he begins to say, but Mindy stops him.

"Oh my God, Shauna, are you okay? Danny, look what you did!" She's sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes.

"No, it's wasn't Dr. Castellano's fault," she starts to say. She really, _really_ doesn't want to cry at work. Sweet Betsy hands Mindy the phone and lets her read the text.

"Oh, my, God," she says. "That is _so_ messed up. Over a text?" Shauna nods and sniffles. "Shauna, you should go home, we don't even have that many patients today so Betsy can cover for you." Betsy nods eagerly, looking very worried.

"Okay, thank you," she says, picking up her purse.

When she gets home, she finds her box of things. Furious, she fumbles with her keys to get into her apartment and kicks the box in there, letting the contents spill out. She tries to call him, tries to ask him what's going on and why is this happening out of the blue, but he doesn't pick up. He never picks up.

* * *

It's six weeks later and she's pretty sure she's over her stupid cop ex-boyfriend. Life goes on—Mindy and Danny go back and forth, Dr. Reed hits on single moms, Betsy continues to post pictures of cats on her Facebook wall (she gets friended and unfriended several times in the process). And Morgan is… well, he's just Morgan.

She's sitting at her desk one day playing Solitaire and trying to look busy when she hears a loud _bang_. She stands up and sees that Mindy has tripped and landed on the ground, and the box of files she was carrying has landed on the ground.

"Dr. Lahiri, Are you okay?" Morgan has come out of nowhere and is helping Mindy up.

"Ah, thanks Morgan," she says. "You know what? I don't know why I'm carrying this box around. I went to medical school. Morgan, get that to Danny's office, okay?"

"I didn't know we kept files in there."

"We do now!" she says, dusting her clothes off and marching back to her office.

And then Shauna does the weirdest thing she's ever done. She watches Morgan pick up the box—watches his muscular arms bulge under his scrubs as he lifts it and carries it down the hall. She's not just watching him, she realizes. She's _checking him out_.

She stops doing it the moment she realizes it.

But just because she told herself not to, she finds herself doing it all the time (very sneakily, of course). Over the next few days, she figures out that she must really be starved for a man if Morgan is doing it for her.

* * *

The next week, when Mindy decides that they should all go clubbing together again (because the first time was _such_ a good idea) it seems like perfect timing. She thinks that maybe she can find a man, have some fun, maybe take him home and get this weird Morgan-thing out of her head.

That's the plan, anyway. She just ends up getting really tipsy with Betsy. Betsy winds up puking on the floor and Jeremy offers to take her home.

She dances for a while until she gets too tired to keep going. She finds Mindy and Danny, who are dancing together (oddly enough) and Mindy tells her that Morgan is thinking about going home so they should share a cab.

Shauna finds him and they stumble out of the club together, leaving Danny and Mindy alone.

They never manage to get a cab. "My apartment is only eight blocks from here," she says.

"Okay. Can I call a cab from there?"

"Sure. Or you can just crash on my couch, if you want." She doesn't know why she just offered that. She doesn't want him in her home. She never takes back the offer, though.

"Oh! Thanks!" he says with a big smile. And then they start walking the eight blocks. Shauna knows that eight blocks isn't _really_ that far, but it is when you're wearing high-heel shoes.

"Are you okay?" he asks. They have only four blocks to go, they're so close she can taste it. Her feet are aching but she really doesn't want to walk around barefoot in New York City. Gross.

"Yeah, I'm good," she says painfully. "It's just these stupid shoes—" she shrieks as a heel gets stuck in a crack and she topples over, twisting her ankle and skinning her knee.

"Owww…" she moans, trying to get up. Maybe she'd had more to drink than she'd thought.

"No, don't get up!" he says, kneeling next to her. "I'm a nurse, trust me!"

"No, I'm okay," she says, starting to stand, putting experimental pressure on her ankle. It hurts like a bitch.

"Shauna, let me help you. Oh, geez! Your knee!" She looks down to see that not only is it skinned, but it's bleeding. A lot. Just the sight of the wound makes it hurt worse. "No, don't look at it, you'll… okay, too late. But here, let me help you…" He puts his arm under hers and helps her limp for a few steps before letting go of her.

"Hey, aren't you gonna help me—oh!" He's placed an arm under her knees and knocks her feet out from under her, but before she falls, she realizes that he's carrying her bridal style down the street. She can't help but laugh, even though she's in pain. "Morgan, what are you doing? Are you going to carry me like this for four whole blocks?"

"Your ankle is hurt," he says simply. "Also, I'm very strong. It's actually hereditary. My Uncle Dave can pull a monster truck by his teeth…" She listens to him as he rambles on about his uncle and how strength is hereditary. It must be true, because he carries her all the way to her apartment building. He doesn't even put her down when he climbs the stairs, which is a scary experience.

She lets him inside, deciding that letting him stay the night (on her couch) is a good idea, because he had carried her quite a ways and it was late out.

He insists on bandaging up her knee and makes her an ice pack (he fumbles around for a while before he finds everything he needs). He even gets her some aspirin.

"Thanks, Morgan," she sighs, kicking back on her couch, feeling the soothing coolness on her ankle. She's tired, but she doesn't want to fall asleep yet. He smiles and pulls a sucker out of his pocket.

"Here, a lollipop for seeing the doctor. Or the nurse."

"I don't even wanna know where you got that," she replies, smiling. "Hey, do you wanna watch a movie?"

They end up watching Ariel the Little Mermaid, for whatever reason. She feels herself unable to focus on the TV. She's relieved that there isn't work tomorrow, because it's 3 in the morning. With that thought, she starts drifting off.

* * *

She wakes up with a crick in her neck and a slightly swollen ankle, but she still feels well-rested. She can't figure out why she's on her couch, though. After just a few more seconds, she realizes that she's laying on someone's lap—_Morgan's_ lap—and that his hands are buried in her hair, and he's snoring softly.

She can't help but feel so, so comfy for a second. He's so warm, his hands are so nice…

Then she wakes up all the way and jolts right up. He wakes up and yells something about prison, and he takes a swing at something in the air. When he comes to, he looks at her with wide eyes.

"Ugh, sorry about that. I guess I fell asleep during the movie," he says. She feels her face turning beet red.

"Uh, that's okay," she says, standing up. Her ankle still stings, but it's not nearly as bad as it was last night. "I did, too."

She sees him to the door and he takes off to visit his grandmother. She wants to roll her eyes and say that it's lame… but she really thinks it's sweet that he spends time with his grandma.

She goes back to her couch and lies down for a moment, stretching out. She tries not to think about how they were just curled up together, like they were… boyfriend and girlfriend or something, and how nice it felt.

Morgan is not her type.

* * *

She keeps telling herself that, but she finds herself talking to him more and more. He's a really good guy, even though he's kind of weird and he's been to jail (she also has a feeling that he goes dumpster diving occasionally). He begins to be the person she calls when she needs help around her apartment, because it turns out that he doesn't live far from her. She calls him when she needs directions or when she cooks too much food for herself (she's from a big family, and she's not used to cooking for only one person).

It's hot out and they're getting ice cream after work. They're walking toward the bus stop together, making plans to see a movie that night when she sees _him._ Her ex-boyfriend. And he's not alone. She stops right where she is and almost drops her ice cream.

"Hey, is that…" Morgan starts to say, and then trails off. He remembers him from Mindy's Christmas party last year. He looks down at Shauna to see her in a state of panic.

"Shush, just hold my hand," she orders. "Act like you're my boyfriend!" She doesn't know what she's doing when she takes his hand. At first she thinks that it will be satisfying to see the look on Stetson's face when he sees that she's moved on.

But instead of just holding her hand, he pulls her close and puts his arm around her waist, and suddenly she's electrified. Her stomach is doing cartwheels and she looks up at Morgan, who is completely calm. Her head swivels again and she sees Officer Stetson and his new girlfriend, who is blonde with legs that go for miles.

Shauna thinks she'll feel jealous, but she doesn't. All she can think about is the hand that's on her waist, and the fingers that are brushing up on her ribs. She knows that Morgan is dramatic and that he always does things that are unexpected. She knows that he probably isn't pulling her close because he actually likes her, but she's feeling dizzy and happy. And so, without thinking, she stands on her tip-toes and kisses him.

It's just a small kiss, not a make-out (although her brain is screaming at her that she _wants more_), but he freezes. He's not responding to her kiss and she moves away from him, feeling utterly mortified.

"S-Sorry," she stammers, touching her lips. Her ex and his new girlfriend are no longer anywhere to be seen, but she's completely forgotten about them, anyway. Morgan looks stunned. "Morgan?"

"Shauna… uh, I have to go… somewhere… to feed my… bird… grandma…" He says a few more words that make no sense, and then leaves her in the street.

"Holy crap," a voice sounds from behind her. It's Mindy, who Shauna forgot also takes the bus. Her humiliation is complete.

* * *

The next day, Morgan is obviously avoiding her. This is fine by Shauna, because she's decided that she's pissed at him.

Why wouldn't he want to kiss her? She's freaking gorgeous, and smart, and she has great style. _Yeah_, she thinks. _Screw him_.

Oh, but it bothers her. Because she'd really liked kissing him, she'd really liked that dizzy feeling she'd had when he'd touched her, and it genuinely surprised her that none of those feelings were coming back her way.

She sees a glimpse of him when he's exiting an exam room. He actually crouches and sneaks by when he has to walk by the reception desk. She throws a few pencils at him, just to let him know that she sees him and yeah, she's pissed.

* * *

After work, she's home alone and she can't stop thinking about stupid Morgan. She's pulling her hair out trying to understand why he'd ditched her so suddenly after she'd kissed him. They were good enough friends that he could have just told her he wasn't interested (even though it totally doesn't matter because she's not into him either). She just needs to explain that this was not serious.

What had she done wrong? Was she too annoying, or too stupid or too slutty? She shakes her head. She isn't any of those things and she knows it.

She pulls out her phone and just calls him. She doesn't need to sit and agonize when she can just ask him what's going on herself. This just isn't her style.

He doesn't answer the phone and she sighs in frustration. This is just getting ridiculous. She begins to leave a message, "Hey Morgan. I was just calling to see if you're okay. Call me back, I want to talk—"

She hears a knock on the door and she peers through the peephole. It's him. She hangs up and opens the door to let him in.

After a moment of silence, he speaks. "So… um…"

"Yeah," she replies, crossing her arms. "So I just wanted to tell you that the kiss yesterday wasn't a big deal, and…"

"Yeah, no, it's totally cool," he says, but he seems a little weird.

"You just seem a little… I don't know. You've been avoiding me all day," she tells him.

"Yeah, um, you know I haven't noticed, but sometimes I'll have days where I need to avoid everyone. I'm kind of a loner sometimes." He's not making any sense, and she can't stay mad.

"It's okay," she sighs, finally noticing that he has something in his hand. "Hey, what's that?"

"Oh, this? It's a movie. Cause, you know, we never got to see one last night." He smiles and she can't even remember how she could ever be angry at him.

"What movie is it?" she asks as she prepares her DVD player.

"Moonstruck. I got it from the Chinese lady down the street."

"The one that sells pirated movies?"

"These aren't pirated, just well-used," he says. That doesn't even make sense. She wants to tell him that Moonstruck is an old movie and that he didn't have to get it pirated (or used, whatever), but it's not a big deal. She puts the movie in and turns off the lights.

She sits next to him on the couch, like she usually does, but tonight feels different. It's because she's nervous, which is so weird because this is just Morgan, a guy that she totally isn't into. They're just friends, right? So it doesn't make sense that she's hyper-aware of how close they are.

She can't even pay attention to the movie.

She stares at his hand, which is really close to her own. She wants to punch herself in the face right now because she's not a thirteen year old girl—she's a woman and she shouldn't be acting so stupid. She looks up to see if he's watching the movie, but he isn't. He's looking right back at her with an unreadable expression.

His hand brushes against hers for a moment before moving up, up until he's touching her cheek. She's pretty sure she's about to pass out. She'd had no idea that Morgan had moves, and now he's using them on her.

His hand moves down and brushes her neck, and now she has the shivers. His other hand is on her knee, brushing where she has a little scar from her fall a few weeks ago. That was the first night that he'd stayed in her apartment. Without a word, he leans forward and kisses her. It's soft and sweet, and it's so different than what she expects from him. He's so tender, and for a second she's actually scared that she's dreaming.

He pulls away for a second, looking insecure, as if she hadn't just been kissing him back. "Sorry," he says quietly. "It's because you kissed me yesterday. Did you mean it? Or was it just because of your boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend," she whispers, surprised that she's even able to reply. "I don't care about him."

That's all he needs to lean in for another kiss. He's kissing her lips, her cheeks, and her neck, and suddenly she's lying back on the couch and clinging to him for dear life. He is hands-down the best kisser ever. She makes a decision right then and there, that he's the only one she wants to kiss for the rest of her life.

Maybe it's a little early to make that decision, but she doesn't care.

She's gonna take him to the batting cages, in the best kind of way.

* * *

**A/N:**

Ack was this so lame? I'm sorry if this is so lame. :)

Yeah, this pairing is never happening, haha. If it does, I will be so so surprised. Anyway, I just wanted to write something for The Mindy Project because it's my new obsession. There are not a lot of fics on here in general, but there is nothing for Shauna and Morgan. So, just thought I'd join in the fun and write something kind of weird.

I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!

-Deena


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